A wife, mother, runner, teacher & writer, I have to hit the ground running.

i am runner, hear me roar?

About this blog

By Emily Dickey

I am a 30-something Waynesboro native. My husband Chip and I have been married for 13 years and are the parents of Nora (9) and Eve (5). I am a high school English teacher, who dreams of one day having my books published. An avid runner, I have
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I am a 30-something Waynesboro native. My husband Chip and I have been married for 13 years and are the parents of Nora (9) and Eve (5). I am a high school English teacher, who dreams of one day having my books published. An avid runner, I have medals from four marathons and five half-marathons hanging from my mirror for inspiration to continue hitting the pavement.

I’m in the midst of marathon training – which means I’m borderline exhausted, unquenchably thirsty and ravishingly hungry at any given minute of the day.

It also means when my alarm goes off at 3:42 a.m. (yes, still the middle of the night), I can’t just roll over and pretend like I have two more hours of sleep. Instead, I have to meet my running partner, Erica, who is just as obsessive as I am. Together we run at least seven miles on weekday mornings with longer runs on the weekends.

We are currently training for the Garden Spot Marathon in Lancaster County on April 6, about two months away so we’re halfway through the 16-week training plan. This will be my fifth marathon….wait a second, my FIFTH marathon?!? When did that happen?

To be completely honest, I don’t think of myself as a runner. A runner is a maniac with a “postal employee mentality” – snow, sleet, hail, rain, blazing sun - no matter what, the miles must be logged. That’s not me…although, I can admit that I’ve run in just about every weather condition Mother Nature throws my way. Each week I have a total-mile goal, and not even temperatures in the single digits can stop me from getting there.

But I’m not really a runner.

I’ve never been an athlete – ever. In high school I “attempted” to play basketball until I realized that I had a little more musical talent (little being the key word – which was more than I illustrated on the court). I was a bit chubby in my early adolescent years – a bit awkward, a whole lot self-conscious. Some of my close friends were runners, but I never felt like I could hack it on the cross country team. I piddled around with running throughout high school and college, a few miles here, a few miles there, but nothing serious.

In 2007 my best friend, Jen, asked me to do a 5k with her to benefit a local humane society. I said “sure,” and slowly jogged about a mile and a half later that afternoon. The desire to not wimp out of the 3.1-mile race made me start to hit the pavement. When I crossed the finish line, hand-in-hand with Jen, I never realized that running would become so vital to my existence.

I continued to run, building miles but sticking to 5ks, until I got pregnant with our little diva, Eve, in 2008. Once she was born and we tried to adjust to a household of two kids (which is much more work than just doubling the parenting load) I began to realize the peace that lies on the open road. I ran my first half marathon in Baltimore exactly four months after Eve entered the world. From there, I set my sights on longer miles and faster times, acknowledging the fact that I am my own worst enemy, much to my ever-supportive husband’s dismay.

The purpose of sharing my running biography isn’t to brainwash you into thinking that running is the ultimate cure-all, because it isn’t for everyone.

Actually, my purpose is to challenge you to a dare.

I dare you, actually I double-dog dare you, to break out of your comfort zone. Try something you never imagined you’d be able to do. Reach for that unattainable dream – and don’t even consider quitting, ever.

Even if you don’t cross the finish line you were aiming for, you’ll be surprised at what you learn about yourself along the way.

To make it even more “official” - commit yourself by writing your goal below. Let’s work toward it together.